Through the Looking Glass
by Ashe1
Summary: Ghosts from the Dimension of Wonder come back to haunt Piccolo and Vegeta and Gohan are sucked in as well. Gohan and Vegeta are left to stop the evil and rescue Piccolo, but are they up to the challenge?
1. Chapter 1

DragonBall Z

Through the Looking Glass

By Ashe-chan

Disclaimer: DragonBall Z is owned by Funimation and some other guy or company or something. I don't own it, I just choose to play with it for a bit. 

Warning: 

This story contains violence, death, explosions, gratuitous destruction of evil dimensional planar beings, and of course the use of Gohan as a sex object. Okay, then again maybe not. You have been warned.

Through the Looking Glass

by Ashe-chan

Chapter One

Cheshire looked over her shoulder at the mirrored door blocking the way out. She was tall for her species, but still was short for a human woman. Human she was not. Cat ears protruding from a long-flowing mane of orange hair and a long tiger-striped tail gave that away immediately. Her outfit hid any of the subtle curves beneath or the power that her small body contained. Formidable in battle, Cheshire's wicked smile did little to hide her personality and demeanor.

A tubby figure inched up behind her waddling. Dressed in what appeared to be a clown suit, Tweedle was laughable at best. Cheshire had chosen him for his combat abilities however. What he lacked in appearance he more than made up for in power. His murder rate nearly rivaled her own, but he disgusted her immensely. He was sloppy, but he was part of the key to breaking the mirror that held the Queen and her army back. Soon the barrier that Kami had erected so many years ago would be broken and a new world would be made in the Queen's image.

"Are we going soon?" whined Tweedle. His voice reminded Cheshire again how much she loathed him. Her tail twitched angrily.

"Hush Tweedle. Queen Shinzo knows what she's doing," snapped Cheshire. "You are here for back-up muscle, not that I need it initially anyway. I do not care to answer your questions or get your opinions, so keep quiet!"

Tweedle backed away from Cheshire in a submissive stance not looking for a fight. He hadn't known that she would be in such a mood. Soon, the mirror would break and they would be unleashed on the world that Kami loved. How fitting now that Kami was no more. He had under-estimated the power of Wonder and the seals were weakened to this plane and slipping every second. A small crack appeared in the mirror and began to split the dimensional wall in two. Tweedle smiled as the mirror cracked further.

"Through the looking glass we go," cackled Tweedle as he hopped from one foot to the other. "Another world awaits us!"

***

Gohan stood atop the Nimbus cloud that was flying him to school and smiled broadly, enjoying the wind rustling through his short, dark hair. He'd been taking Nimbus a lot lately, mainly to ease his body of some of the pain his last outing had dealt him. Gohan was almost recovered, but he didn't want to push it. He had his super hero career to think about. 

The young Saiyan closed his eyes and let himself go on the little cloud, feeling out familiar energy patterns around the world. He could sense Vegeta nearby as well as Piccolo. He knew Piccolo had been out here training, but Vegeta rarely left town. He had time before school yet and was about to change course when another energy signature reached out and knocked Gohan off his feet. He fell off the back of Nimbus and towards the Earth, but the cloud quickly turned around and dove to catch him.

Gohan landed with a light whump on the cloud and sat up holding his head.

"What was that?" he asked no one in particular. "It felt like some kind of evil power entering our world. I haven't felt something like that since…since Cell. Nimbus, turn us southeast. I have a feeling this isn't going to be good."

The little cloud faithfully turned in the direction Gohan had indicated. The Saiyan brought himself back to his feet and began looking around the tree line below for anything out of the ordinary. That's when Piccolo pulled up alongside Gohan. The older Namek's green skin glistened in the light of the sun, his white cape flying out behind him. His purple and white turban did little to protect his head from the harsh wind created by their flight, but its purpose was to help him train, not work as headgear.

"Piccolo," shouted Gohan. "I take it you felt that too?"

"Yeah," grunted the Namek. "I don't like the way it feels. Too powerful for my tastes and it feels like it's got a bad attitude."

"You sure you're not just picking up on Vegeta?"

Piccolo chuckled. "No, that's a whole different kind of attitude. And I picked him up before this. Whatever it is, its worse."

Gohan nodded and urged Nimbus to pick up the pace that Piccolo was setting. They arrived at a clearing and found Vegeta floating above it, golden Super Saiyan flares cascading off his body. Vegeta slowly descended to the ground below him and cut his Saiyan abilities down to nothing, revealing his short body in a pair of black jeans and a pink shirt with the words "Badman" stenciled in black on his back.

Piccolo and Gohan followed suit. After jumping off the cloud to the ground below he sent Nimbus away. No sense getting the little cloud involved in a major fight if it came down to it. Vegeta didn't even bother to turn and face the two new arrivals. He knew who they were from his long experience on Earth. 

"You think you could have bought a decent pair of shoes by now Piccolo," said Vegeta adjusting the pink collar of his shirt. "I could hear the pitter-patter of your little green feet as you landed."

"And you have room to talk? Did Bulma dress you before you left the house again?" chided Piccolo ready for Vegeta's verbal battles this time.

"Hey you two, heads up," interrupted Gohan. "I think that dark energy we were all sensing is about to come out of that hole over there."

In a hillside at the edge of the clearing, a natural cave had formed. It had been covered over by grass until just a few moments before and the clumps of dirt and grass lay spread out into the clearing. There was an eerie glow coming form the back of the cave and it seemed to Gohan like most of the energy was emanating from there. What caught his attention however were the two figures that were coming out of the cave. One looked like a bizarre mix of cat and human, the other like an overweight carnival clown that had been out of work for a long time. The three Z Fighters figured out quickly that these two were stronger than they looked, but Vegeta felt the need to taunt them just the same.

"Well, well. What do we have here? Earth's greatest threat is from a hole in the ground now? Maybe I should round up some catnip and a few midgets with a fire hose."

Cheshire peered at the trio with a look of disgust on her face. Two monkeys and a plant. She sighed and shook her head. Kami would find someone to replace him, she didn't think he'd be desperate though. Something seemed odd about the Namek. Cheshire was sure she recognized him, or at least part of his aura. Had Kami merged with the being now before her? If that was the case then this might actually be a challenge. 

Tweedle made his way past Cheshire and out onto the open field. A wicked smile creased his face. He was glad to see the Namek here. He'd wanted to take a little vengeance out on something that bled purple. He giggled in his annoying way and twitched with anticipation. He knew he'd have to gather up some energy before his first attack and waited patiently.

After he finished gathering his energy, Tweedle wanted some fast results and figured the youngest looking member of the group was also the weakest. Gathering everything he'd collected into one attack, Tweedle let loose with an energy blast at Gohan. The ball of green energy flew quickly across the clearing at the unsuspecting Saiyan.

"Look out!" yelled Piccolo, leaping in front of the blast and knocking it to the side. It flew up and over the Z Fighters and took out several trees behind them as it exploded.

Piccolo glared at the fat man and took off the weighted turban on his head as well as his cape and shoulder pads. Piccolo smiled, exposing his fangs and cracked his knuckles.

"Good to see you're out Tweedle," said Piccolo cracking his knuckles. "I was getting worried that we'd be out of a job around here as Earth's Champions."

"You know this guy, Piccolo?" asked Gohan, taking a cue from Piccolo and removing his school uniform to reveal the black body suit that Bulma had made for him.

"I don't know him personally. Kami had a run in with these two and a bunch of their friends awhile back. I'm guessing that energy surge we felt was the barrier he created being destroyed. The fat man is Tweedle. He's stronger than he looks. So is his partner, Cheshire.

"They both come from the Dimension of Wonder. It used to be a fantastic place of magic and mystery. A few years back, a young girl named Alice read about this dimension in one of her father's research books and was so moved by it that she gathered up the Dragonballs to go there.

"Her wish was easily granted, but ended up in a nasty twist when she met Cheshire off the bat. Cheshire and a few others were working to get into power there. They work for a cybernetically enhanced monster known as Queen Shinzo. Her lower half resembles a spider, and the top half is that of a beautiful silver woman. Don't let her fool you. She is as nasty as Freeza ever was. These two work for her. They killed Alice and used her blood to create a dimensional portal to our world. Kami found out about it and erected a seal around their portal, trapping them inside. We both thought that they'd be trapped there. I guess we were wrong."

"Neither of you could do anything right, Piccolo," said Vegeta in an annoyed tone. "Now we have to clean up the mess. Hardly worth my time."

"I assure you," hissed Cheshire. "We will be more than a match for you, monkey."

"I am no monkey!" Vegeta shouted, clenching his fist. "I am the Prince of all Saiyans!"

"We shall see. Tweedle," ordered Cheshire. "Eliminate them."

"With ple-asure!" cackled Tweedle, launching himself at the Namek.

Piccolo pushed off the ground as well and flew one-fisted at Tweedle. Before he got to Tweedle directly he launched himself up and over him, landing a fist in Tweedle's back. Tweedle turned quickly and punched Piccolo in the face, knocking him back a few feet. The fat man laughed and lunged for Piccolo again, but Piccolo was ready and was into the air before anything could connect. Tweedle chased after him.

"Go Piccolo!" shouted Gohan, stepping up beside Vegeta. Vegeta looked over at Gohan as if to say something and his eyes went wide.

Vegeta stared at Gohan in his black body suit, his mouth agape. "You wear that all the time?"

Gohan smoothed out a wrinkle in the fabric. "What? It's comfortable. And it's not like I wear the whole outfit under my school clothes. You're the one who likes to go out in pink."

Up in the air, the blur of motion that was Piccolo and Tweedle continued. Neither fighter was really getting ahead of the other and they appeared to be matched. Tweedle sized up Piccolo again and pushed away from him, floating about 15 meters away. 

"So Piccolo," whined Tweedle. "I see you know a lot about fighting. How much do you know about winning?"

"Enough to stop the likes of you," rasped out Piccolo, one bead of sweat running down his face.

"We shall see," Tweedle said, his fingers extending out to twice their size. His nails grew out to half an inch in length and gleamed in the sun. The fat man launched at Piccolo again, his new talons flying madly about the Namek. Piccolo managed to fend off most of the attack, but several cuts appeared on his chest, arms and legs. Piccolo kicked the twisted clown away from him, purple blood staining his pants a darker shade. 

"Piccolo!" shouted Gohan.

"Relax kid," said Vegeta. "I think the plant can handle it."

Gohan frowned at Vegeta but turned back to the battle in time to see Piccolo moving in for an energy attack. The Namek held up his index and middle finger to his forehead, gathering energy there to release on his attacker.

"Makkankosappo!" yelled Piccolo pointing his hand at Tweedle. The blast knocked him back to the ground at Cheshire's feet. Piccolo descended back down to where Gohan and Vegeta stood.

"Is that the best you can throw at him? If I'd have known you were going to do so poorly against this guy I would've called Trunks out here to fight!" snarled Vegeta. "He may be young and weak, but he could have taken that idiot Tweedle out in under a minute!"

"Will you relax?" snapped Piccolo. "I know what I'm doing. He won't be able to keep this up for long. Besides he has a few surprises that I can remember."

"Oh really? And what might that be?" asked Vegeta. "He's not that strong at all! I wouldn't even have to go Super Saiyan to take him out!"

"I think we're about to get an idea," interrupted Gohan pointing across the clearing. "Look!"

***

Tweedle was pulling himself out of the small impact crater his large mass had created. His clothes were a bit rumpled, but otherwise he looked perfectly fine. A small trail of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth but he wiped it away quickly.

"No weakness," Tweedle giggled.

"What's taking you so long?" chided Cheshire. "You should have finished that Namek off already!"

"I'm handling it my own time, Cheshire! I don't see you out there!"

"Eat your damned bean and get it over with!"

"Very well…master." said Tweedle in a highly annoyed tone.

Tweedle pulled a bottle from behind his back with the words "Eat Me" stenciled on the side. Reaching a pudgy digit into the bottle to pull out a twisted black bean. Tweedle smiled knowingly at Piccolo and popped it into his mouth. He quickly capped the bottle and returned it to its place on his belt.

***

"What was that?" asked Gohan.

"That was a dark Sensu bean," answered Piccolo simply. "They get twisted by the Queen who rules the other realm. If fed to someone with a dark heart it makes them stronger."

"And what if that person isn't dark?" asked Gohan, not sure he wanted the answer.

"It turns them evil, drives them insane and makes them stronger than imaginable."

"Right. Don't eat the dark beans. Dark beans bad. Got it," said Gohan.

A dark flame popped up around Tweedle, it's edges absorbing the light surrounding him. He smiled wickedly and walked slowly toward Piccolo and the others. He flexed his clawed hands, drawing blood from his own arm as the nails scratched his skin. 

"Come on Piccolo. Let's see what you've got now," taunted Tweedle.

Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he looked upon his opponent. He cleared his mind and planned out his next move. Tweedle was even stronger now, but the brains behind that strength weren't there. Brute force wasn't going to work here. Piccolo knew he'd have to play it smart. Piccolo smiled at Tweedle.

"Come on if you're not afraid," taunted Piccolo, taking a few strides away from Vegeta and Gohan.

"Piccolo, what're you doing?"

"I can handle this Gohan. Just stand back," said Piccolo re-assuredly.

Piccolo closed his eyes for a brief second and suddenly five copies of him spread out to surround Tweedle. Tweedle looked at each, trying to maintain some sort of order as to which was the original. 

"Stop that! It's not fair!" cried Tweedle. 

"Stop what?" said one of the Piccolos.

"Fair? Who said anything about fighting fair?" asked another copy.

"And he calls that handling it," snorted Vegeta.

Tweedle shied back a step from the three Piccolos in front of him. All six of them smiled at the same time and rushed Tweedle. He cried out and tried to leap up but didn't get out of the way in time. The fat man disappeared under a sea of green and purple.

Tweedle's cries of pain could be heard through the punching mass of Piccolos. He wasn't too happy about his situation, and after a few brief minutes of pounding, the multiple copies were thrown off of Tweedle as he let out a primal scream and releases much of the dark energy that had originated in the dark Sensu bean. Blood and dirt stained Tweedle's face and clothes, his arm hung limply at his side. Wheezing could be heard through cracked ribs, and yet the fat man was still smiling at them. Piccolo recalled his multiples and readied himself. Tweedle wouldn't fall for that move again.

"So you like to fight in gangs, eh?" questioned Tweedle, his scratchy voice gurgling from the blood mixing in his lungs. "Two can play!" Tweedle let out an ungodly scream forcing Piccolo and Gohan to cover their ears. Vegeta and Cheshire simply looked on as the fat man split in two, much like Piccolo's previous move. The twin Tweedle's looked to be in much better shape then they had before the split, only minor abrasions and contusions graced their flesh and bone. The dark flames flared up and seemed to suck in even more light around the twins.

"Gentle-beings," started one of the copies. "May I…"

"Introduce ourselves," finished the other. "I am…"

"Tweedle D," the first bowed.

"And Tweedle M."

"How quaint," said Vegeta. "They've split and now we have to deal with Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber. Get this over with Piccolo or I'll finish it for you!"

"Why? You got somewhere to go Vegeta?" asked Piccolo. "Bulma going to pick out some more clothes for the week for you?"

Vegeta clenched his fists and glared at Piccolo, his left eye twitching. "We both know who'll win that fight, Namek. Don't think I won't demonstrate how much stronger I am than you."

"Will you both knock it off?" interrupted an annoyed Gohan. "I think we have bigger problems on our hands here. Those two look like they're getting stronger by the minute."

"Hardly a worthy match in this fight, Gohan," said Vegeta. "A Saiyan needs more than this rabble to keep him amused."

"I'd watch your language," said Cheshire in a menacing tone. "They are more than a match for you. I'm amazed the Namek could hold his own."

"Unless they are as strong as a Saiyan, I highly doubt it. They look like a pair of over-stuffed clowns to me."

"Vegeta," whispered Gohan. "I think you'd better stop. They're twice as strong split, can't you feel it?"

"Boy, there are times I think you are as weak as your father. Watch this."

Vegeta sneered and threw up his right hand. Light gathered there quickly and formed into a large ball of energy that Vegeta launched from his hand, roaring towards Tweedle D and M. The two sidestepped the oncoming attack quickly. It continued its fast pace onwards to Cheshire. Lifting her left hand, Cheshire blocked Vegeta's Big Bang Attack causing the ball to deflect up and over her, landing on a section of forest. The energy released in a large explosion as trees, smoke and dirt came pouring down from what was sure to be a crater in the forest.

Vegeta's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open. Very few people had ever resisted that attack, Freeza and Kakkarot to name a few. That this small female was capable of such a feat not only intrigued Vegeta, but it also scared him. "Could this be the challenge I've sought out since Kakkarot left? Can this woman be the one to push me to my limits once again?" Vegeta asked himself. He moved into a proper fighting stance and clenched his fists attempting to look more intimidating.

"So, the great Saiyan Prince wishes to fight me?" asked Cheshire. "I find that fact alone amusing. If it's a fight you want, little man, then be prepared for it."

Cheshire crouched to the ground like a cat stalking its prey and launched herself at Vegeta. She covered the ground between them in less than 5 seconds, leaving Vegeta little time to prepare. The Saiyan leapt from the ground to fly over his assailant. Sending down some energy blasts at Cheshire, Vegeta sought to gain an upper hand. Cheshire sensed the attack and disappeared before the attack hit the ground. Vegeta scanned the area looking for her when he heard a soft laughter from behind him followed by a sharp elbow in his back that sent him flying.

"She has instant transmission!" thought Vegeta. He regained his stability in the air and found she had disappeared again. Wheeling about, Vegeta met her glare just in time to dodge a clawed strike attack. He stood to the side fingering the cuts in his shirt. Letting out a guttural cry, Vegeta pointed at the smiling villainess. 

"That was my favorite shirt, woman! You will pay for this! I am not going to sit still and be made a mockery of! Kakkarot could not best me in a fair fight, and neither will you!"

"Who said I was going to fight fair, Prince Vegeta?" Cheshire let the word Prince roll off her tongue so that he knew she was mocking him.

"I can hardly claim to playing fair either," Vegeta sneered. Golden flames erupted from around his body, his hair turning long, blonde and gravity defying; his shirt rippled from the illusionary wind. "Let's see what you've got!" Vegeta flew down to Cheshire like a bolt of lighting. Under-estimating the Super Saiyans speed, she had no time to use her instant transmission. The two fighters went at it in the air, fists flying so fast the normal eye could not see.

Vegeta smiled as the fight wore on. Here was something he could do. Here was something he was made for.

***

Gohan stood on the ground below, marveling at the battle above. He still couldn't believe the speed Vegeta had when he wanted it. It had been awhile since he'd seen anyone as fast as a Saiyan, and yet there she was, quick as lightning and just as agile. It was in this state of amazement that Gohan missed the movement in front of him as the fat twins moved in to strike him, nearly as fast as the cat-girl above.

Tweedle D and M under-estimated the Namek yet again as Piccolo leapt in to save Gohan. Shoving the young half-Saiyan out of the way, Piccolo took the brunt of the attack. Gohan slid across the clearing to end up in front of an old willow tree. He jumped up and ran out from underneath its tired branches to see Piccolo, Tweedle D and Tweedle M locked in a flurry of motion. Gohan concentrated on the fight like Piccolo had trained him and immediately wished he hadn't.

"Piccolo! Get out of there!" shouted Gohan. He could see that Tweedle D and M were too much for the Namek. The claws of one sunk into his flesh when he dodged the other, his purple blood spilling out onto the ground. Gohan's eyes were a tale of pain as he looked on. "This is my fault," thought Gohan. "I'll make it right Piccolo. I swear to you."

The Namek put up a great fight, but in the end the tag-team Tweedle was too much for him and he was thrown from the fight into a bloody heap at Gohan's feet. Gohan sank to his knees, cradling Piccolo in his arms. 

"Piccolo! No! You can't be dead! Piccolo!" Gohan couldn't detect a heartbeat on his fallen friend and teacher nor see his chest rise and fall. Had they killed him? Was he too late?

"No!" screamed Gohan. "You killed him! You killed Piccolo!"

"Tut," said Tweedle D.

"Tut. Shouldn't but in," started Tweedle M.

"On a fight you can't finish," finished Tweedle D.

Gohan's eyes narrowed as he looked upon his new foes. He positioned himself into one of Piccolo's classic stances that the Namek had taught him so many years ago out in the wilderness. The young Saiyan clenched his fists, his fingers digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood.

"Vegeta is right," said Gohan. "Enough playing around. This is more than personal now. I'm making it my goal in life to stop all of you. Piccolo will be avenged!"

"And just how," started Tweedle D.

"Do you plan to accomplish that?" finished Tweedle M.

As if in answer to the twins' question golden flames erupted from around Gohan, his hair turning blonde and rippling in the wind, the piercing gaze of his eyes glossing over green. Gohan moved into another stance and released a bit of the energy he contained, creating an indent in the ground underneath him. Rock and stone floated along side his Super Saiyan form, an early sign of the battle about to come. The golden flames flared brighter and moved faster about his body. The young Saiyan used the pain and anger he felt and channeled into his Super Saiyan ability and flew at Tweedle like a guided missile.

Tweedle D and M swirled about the Super Saiyan, claws striking out at him. Flying up above D, Gohan's fist connected with his head, knocking him down. While D was recovering from his hit, M launched another attack on Gohan. Fists flew at and around the head of the young Saiyan as he dodged the incoming punches with ease. Finally Gohan had enough and raised his hands above his head gathering energy there and releasing it the way Piccolo had taught him as the Masenkou. The blast knocked both Tweedles away from Gohan and gave him a moment to gather his own power again. The twins regrouped in the air not too far from their new opponent, the dark energy still flowing about them. They had started to break a sweat now, but as far as they could tell, not a single one of their attacks had hit Gohan.

Gohan eyes the twins intently; fists still clenched at his side. His green eyes did little to hide the rage that had welled up inside him. Piccolo still lay on the ground below, his body unmoved. That simple fact did little to calm the storm that the twins had unleashed. Gohan pulled his right arm back behind him, his hand cupped slightly crossing his left arm over his body just over the right and started gathering energy.

"Kame Hame Ha!" shouted Gohan releasing the energy that he'd collected into a forward thrust at the Tweedles. The blast hit the twins and they fell to the ground, small smoke trails coming from their clothes. Gohan screamed and flew at them on the ground with amazing speed, his Saiyan powers allowing him to crash into the countryside and cause mass amounts of upheaval in the earth around the twins. Turning to face them and fight some more he instead found shards of broken glass strewn across the ground in the Tweedles image. The young Saiyan was so stunned he took a step back and his golden aura faded. 

"Is that the fate of the people I fight from the Dimension of Wonder?" asked Gohan aloud. He shivered at the thought. His attention was soon taken from his thoughts as the sound of crashing trees behind him brought him back to reality. Gohan turned to find Vegeta struggling to get up from a blast crater he'd made after being punched to the ground by Cheshire. She stood next to Piccolo, grinning a wide, evil grin and then picked up the Namek's body and launched away from Vegeta and towards the hole in the ground. Gohan was so shocked he barely put up a defense as she dashed by, knocking him off his feet. He turned towards the fleeing Cheshire and reached out his hand as if he could stop her.

"Piccolo!" he cried. "No!"

Gohan got up to pursue, but it was too late. Cheshire and Piccolo had disappeared down the rabbit hole. Gohan punched the ground below him, sending a shockwave that spread out for a quarter mile. He stood, his breath coming in short bursts, tears falling down his cheeks. A hand fell on Gohan's shoulder and he spun to face his attacker when Gohan realized it was Vegeta. Several cuts adorned his face and his prized shirt was torn from the fight with the denizen of Wonder. 

"I'm sorry, kid. She got the best of me in a moment and made off with the plant," said Vegeta.

"Piccolo is not a plant," Gohan said with affirmation. "And we're not going to let them have him or the Earth. We're going down there to stop this Queen Shinzo and get Piccolo back!"

Vegeta looked at him seriously for a moment. "Don't you think we should go back and get some of the others? These people are dangerous."

Gohan looked Vegeta in the eye with such a torrent of rage that Vegeta nearly took a step back. "We're going down there. Just you and me, Vegeta. We're going to get Piccolo back and with the Dragon as my witness we'll make Cheshire and this Queen Shinzo pay."

Vegeta half smiled and snarled. "That's the most intelligent thing I've heard you say all day!" Vegeta clapped him on the back and ran for the entrance to the Dimension of Wonder. Gohan clenched his fist and followed. 

"We will get you back Piccolo. I swear it," mumbled Gohan under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

DragonBall Z

Through the Looking Glass

By Ashe-chan

Disclaimer: DragonBall Z is owned by Funimation and some other guy or company or something. I don't own it, I just choose to play with it for a bit. 

Warning: 

This story contains violence, death, explosions, gratuitous destruction of evil dimensional planar beings, and of course the use of Gohan as a sex object. Okay, then again maybe not. You have been warned.

Chapter Two

Vegeta and Gohan made their way along the walls of the hole in the ground. The walls although made of dirt, looked machined and were smooth. An unnatural light source seemed to keep the tunnel lit as they moved further underground. The two Saiyans moved in silence for nearly 20 minutes before Vegeta finally spoke up.

"You know, you're growing up to be a better man than I or your father ever could have been or will be," Vegeta said quietly.

Gohan stopped moving down the tunnel to turn and look at Vegeta like he'd grown two heads. "Wh-what did you say?" he stammered.

"You heard what I said," Vegeta mumbled and looked away embarrassed. Gohan took the hint and looked the other way, a nervous laugh escaping his lips.

"Thanks Vegeta. That does mean a lot to me. Ever since my dad left the last time I've kind of looked up to you and Piccolo. I sure hope he's ok."

"The pla – er, Piccolo is fine I'm sure. He's been through worse."

"I know, but we've never run into anyone quite like these people before," said Gohan. "They're tough."

"So is Bulma's cooking, but you don't hear me complaining do you?" Vegeta said, his rough demeanor showing through again. Gohan held in a snicker and the two moved on in silence for what seemed like an hour. Vegeta suddenly grabbed Gohan by the shoulder and pulled him close. Gohan was about to protest when Vegeta covered his mouth.

"Listen," said Vegeta quietly. "I hear machines, and footsteps coming our way."

Gohan looked around for a good place to hide but found only the smooth round tunnel they had been in. "We'll have to take them head on," said Vegeta. "It's the only way."

Gohan smirked and powered up, Vegeta following right behind. "Well then, let's not disappoint them!" Gohan said as he flew down the tunnel towards the advancing robotics. What he found when he got to the first wave almost made him double over in laughter. 

The robots were silver, short and rectangular with minuscule legs and huge arms. There didn't appear to be heads, but a cylinder with a speaker and a searchlight that Gohan assumed were eyes. The robotic troops stopped and a gold model stepped forward. Gohan assumed this was the leader as it was a tad bigger and had the distinctive coloring.

"You are trespassers to the Dimension of Wonder," croaked out the small robot in a digitized voice. "You will come with us or perish. There will be no other options, so decrees the Queen."

"Oh really?" asked Vegeta who had followed Gohan up. "And who do you think you are to question my authority to be here?"

"I am number one," the stout little robot croaked. "You will come with us or perish."

Gohan and Vegeta looked at the robots and then to each other. Vegeta could only shake his head as Gohan burst out in a fit of laughter. 

"Laughter is not permitted in Wonderland. You are hereby sentenced to death," moaned the number one droid. "Execute them."

A group of five of the smaller silver robots waddled around the leader and made their way towards Gohan and Vegeta in an almost comical fashion. Gohan could only laugh harder. "If this was what Piccolo had been so worried about, it should be a cinch to get him back!"

Vegeta smiled wickedly at the approaching droids. "Allow me, Gohan." 

Assuming a power stance, Vegeta began charging up a quick blast that could take out all five robots. Glancing up he released the shot at the robots that kept advancing. As the energy rocketed towards them, the robots moved semi-circle to Vegeta and crouched down. Suddenly, all five robots spilt horizontally, the upper body and arms launching to five feet above their lower half. An energy shield then formed between the two halves as Vegeta's energy hit them. The energy faded and a low level humming could be heard coming from the robot shields.

Gohan and Vegeta could only look on stunned as an intricate pattern formed in the shields of the five robots and the energy they had collected was released at Vegeta. With little time to get out of the way, Vegeta's shirt and left shoulder took a hit. The Saiyan Prince grimaced in pain as his own technique was turned against him. He stood and growled at the robots.

"You'll pay for that! No one injures Vegeta! No one!" Vegeta screamed and powered up. It was Gohan's turn to grab Vegeta and pull him back.

"No! They absorbed your energy and turned it back on you, Vegeta. Going Super Saiyan isn't going to help here."

"What do you suggest, hmm? Play cards with them?" snapped Vegeta.

Gohan smiled and cracked his knuckles. "No, we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way."

Gohan pushed off the wall with his feet, launching himself at the robots. His fists flew in a fury that few mortal men could see and soon the robots that had gotten the drop on Vegeta were strewn about the floor of the tunnel. Gohan stood and smiled at Vegeta as he dusted off his hands. 

The Saiyan Prince grunted and pointed down the tunnel. "You going to do that to all of them as well?" Gohan turned to look down where Vegeta was pointing and choked. There weren't any tunnels, just hordes of the robots. 

"There must be a hundred of them!" exclaimed Gohan.

"Actually I only count fifty-two, including the five you destroyed," said Vegeta calmly. "Time to break out the wrecking ball, kid."

Vegeta flew into a frenzy and began wading down the corridor, ripping through the robots. Gohan followed in his wake, taking out stragglers looking to get Vegeta from behind. In a few minutes all that was left in the tunnel was a pile of scrap that stretched on for half a mile. Vegeta stood off to the side of Gohan, his hands clenched at his sides. 

"What's the matter, Vegeta?" asked Gohan.

"This is too easy. There's something about this that bothers me."

"You're right," said Gohan. "There's far too little resistance. It's like Babadi's ship all over again." Vegeta gave Gohan a knowing look and started on down the dirt corridor again.

They moved on again in silence until the tunnel sloped down at a nearly ninety-degree angle. Light spilled into the tunnel from an opening just below. Gohan and Vegeta could hear the sound of voices and squeaking from the other room. The pair stopped to consider their options.

"I'm sure they know we're here by now," said Gohan. "If we head down we're almost sure to be going into a trap."

"We've gone all this way for that worthless Namek," grumbled Vegeta as he took off the tattered remains of his 'Badman' shirt. "I'm not going back empty-handed just to listen to Bulma whine about having to make me yet another one. I say we go on."

Gohan smiled and moved towards the drop. "Then I say we go on. Ready when you are."

Vegeta nodded and the pair dropped down onto the ramp, sliding through the opening they were deposited under a spotlight. The voice had stopped and the rest of the room was dark. Vegeta stepped forward and shook his fist in the air. "We're not leaving until you give us the Namek! You have messed with the wrong Saiyans!"

A shrill voice pierced the darkness. "I wasn't aware there were any other Saiyans to mess with. Part of a dying breed, eh monkey boy?"

The Saiyan Prince growled and took a step forward, fury splashing across his face. "How dare you! Show yourself!"

A spotlight activated on the far side of the immense room, not showing much more than the speaker. After the challenge, Vegeta wished the light had stayed off. Sitting on a dais above the floor he and Gohan stood sat a fairly over-weight woman dressed in a bright red and white robe and uniform. Her hair fell in twisted black curls around her head, her ears covered be a red pullover. The queen's face reminded the two Saiyans of Freeza in both features and expression. 

Piccolo's earlier description of the Queen had seemed to be accurate as just below her swollen belly, cybernetic implants ran about and tied her into a large metallic body with eight powerful, insect-like legs. She let out an evil hiss and leaned forward, her pudgy hand bracing on the railing in front of her.

"I am Queen Shinzo, matriarch of the Dimension of Wonder," she announced in a low tone. "You were to be my guests here, but I see that you are rather impolite and so now shall become my amusement."

"Where's Piccolo?" asked Gohan. "I demand to see him! We wish to take him home."

"You are in a position to demand nothing!" hissed Queen Shinzo, slamming her fist on the rail. "I on the other hand am in a position to demand QUIET!"

"You blowhard!" screamed Vegeta. "You have no right to speak to us that way!" Vegeta stepped up, golden flames erupting from his body, his tattered pants and hair blowing from the energy waves. He readied himself to attack and was about to let loose on the Queen when Gohan stopped him, the energy ball flying into the air and smashing along the ground.

"What are you doing?" the Saiyan Prince demanded of Gohan. 

"Look!"

All around the room the lights came up, revealing hundreds of bizarre creatures sitting in an arena just above the floor the two Saiyans were on. In front of the Queen, dozens of the energy reflecting robots stood ready, and several more models of another robot were thrown into the mix. 

"I think we're a tad outnumbered for the moment here, Vegeta." Vegeta powered down and clenched his fists. 

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," said Vegeta.

"You have been brought to my arena to stand trial for your crimes," said the Queen. She gestured to all the creatures in the stands around her. "What shall be their punishment for intruding upon our world and killing poor Tweedle?" 

Angry shouts rose up across the arena, deafening the Z fighters. Several shouts could be heard over others, from 'Off with their heads!' to 'Draw and quarter them!' None of the options sounded pleasant to either Gohan or Vegeta and they kept their attention on the Queen. She smiled and shifted her body so that she could listen to the rabbit-like humanoid by her side.

Queen Shinzo's smile widened and she stepped up to the rail again, her metallic legs sounding over the crowd. She raised her hands and the onlookers fell silent. "Our friend, dear Rabid, has come up with a solution that I find both amusing and entirely too much fun," the Queen said with an evil glint in her eye. 

"We shall hold a trial by engagement here in our lovely arena. Our two guests will have to hold their own against two foes of my choosing. The first shall be their companion they sought and our own champion, Cheshire!"

The crowd roared in approval. Gohan shot Vegeta a nervous look.

"Piccolo won't fight," said Vegeta. 

"I hope you're right Vegeta. I really do."

A clanking sound at the other side of the arena turned everyone's attention. The fighters' entrance door opened slowly and methodically, light spilling out from there. A figure could be seen moving against the light and soon Cheshire walked out into the dirt floor of the arena, Piccolo slung over her shoulder. She strut into the arena as much as she could, her smile betraying the fangs beneath her lips. The crowd cheered louder as she slammed Piccolo's unconscious body on the ground.

Gohan snarled and went to move after Cheshire, but he stopped short when the cat-girl grabbed Piccolo's head by his antennae and lifting it off the floor. Cheshire flashed Gohan and evil grin and produced two black beans from a pouch at her back.

"Bad beans," breathed Gohan and he ran again at the cat-girl. She hissed at him, leaning down and grasping Piccolo's head in her arms. She opened her palm, exposing her razor-like claws and gesturing towards Piccolo's neck. 

"Tut tut, little monkey. Another step and it'll be just the three of us in the ring."

The young Saiyan stopped dead in his tracks, his breath coming hard to him. "You can't do that to him!"

"Watch me!"

In a single move she shoved the Dark Sensu Beans into Piccolo's throat and held his head up to force a swallow. Piccolo's body twitched and Cheshire tossed it to her side. She stepped away, egging the crowd's cheers on. The arena erupted in roars of approval as she sauntered about showing off her power and moves. Gohan took the pause to rush over to Piccolo and see what he could do for his fallen friend. 

Gohan realized quickly that Piccolo had indeed swallowed the beans. He tried to make him comfortable and talked quietly to him, hoping that the sound of his voice would keep Piccolo there with him. Vegeta had other plans. The Saiyan Prince stepped into Cheshire's path, making her stop in her showboating.

"And the monkey gets a backbone. Are you saying you want a rematch?"

"I wasn't dead when you left the field of combat," Vegeta spat. "I'd hardly consider our match finished, puss n' boots."

"Very well, you face your death, Prince Vegeta."

"Shut up and fight, woman!" Vegeta lunged at Cheshire with incredible speed and had landed several punches before the cat-girl could leap away. He growled and followed, golden flames erupting from his body and his now golden mane flowing behind him. Cheshire moved to block his attack and ended up flying across the arena to crush the wall, several large boulders falling around her. The crowd that had been cheering grew silent.

Cheshire stood slowly, wiping blood away from the corner of her mouth. She hissed at Vegeta and sprinted across the arena and was suddenly laying face up on the ground. Vegeta sneered down at her.

"You know what they say," he gloated. "You can't teach an old pussy new tricks."

Cheshire snarled and jumped up to her feet and landed a series of punches on Vegeta forcing him back. The crowd roared. 

***

On the dais that over-looked the rest of the arena, Rabid whispered in his Queen's ear. 

"Yes, indeed this will be the last great fight this arena will see," said the Queen. "It's a pity that the Saiyans fight so well and must die so horribly. That is the way of it I'm afraid." The Queen cheered her champion on, smiling as Vegeta was thrown across the arena. 

"If for some reason Cheshire is unable to defeat this monkey," said Queen Shinzo to the Hatter, a short, skinny looking man with a tall hat. "I want you to order the robots to take them out. The Saiyans being victorious here are not in the cards."

***

Gohan sat next to Piccolo as Vegeta and Cheshire fought. It was nothing like the quick fights that they had been in before with Freeza and the others. Gohan still felt rather than saw what was going on, but either his perceptions had gotten clearer with age or experience or the fighting was on a level any normal person could see. A soft stirring next to him brought Gohan back to the Namek as Piccolo turned his head towards Gohan.

"Mister Piccolo?" asked the Saiyan in an almost childlike voice.

"You haven't called me that in a long time," coughed Piccolo. 

"You are alive, and ok!"

"No, Gohan," said Piccolo grimly. He held his side and grimaced, sitting up slowly. "I'm fighting the effects of the Dark Sensu Beans that cat-bitch fed me. It won't be long before I won't be able to control myself."

"You can fight it, Piccolo. I know you can!" 

"You're wrong, kid. No one can. It'll overtake me too. I don't want to hurt you, Gohan, but when the beans take over I'll attack both you and Vegeta in a blind rage. There's no stopping it."

"No!" cried Gohan. "We'll get you out of here and destroy the gateway to our world!"

Piccolo smiled. "You have heart, Gohan. You really do. That's why it's making this so hard to ask you this. You're going to have to kill me Gohan."

Gohan looked on in shock. "No. I can't do that, Piccolo. I can't kill you! We're friends!"

Piccolo grimaced and clutched his stomach, a black flame sprouting from his hand. "D-do it Gohan! K-kill me before this evil t-takes me over!"

"I can't do it, Piccolo!" Gohan cried. "I just can't."

There was silence for a brief time as Piccolo put his hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Then, my little monkey friend," gurgled out Piccolo, "you die!"

There was a bright flash of light and Gohan found himself on his back across the arena, a small furrow in the ground where he'd traveled through the dirt. Gohan got onto his feet and looked towards Piccolo with hope in his eyes, but that hope quickly dissipated when he saw his Namek friend. 

Piccolo stood in the middle of the arena panting, a wild look in his eyes and saliva dripping from his mouth. Black flames licked at the dirt floor and spread up and around his body both absorbing and giving off a dark light.

"Bad beans," breathed Gohan. He hung his head in sorrow as he realized what he'd have to do to survive. Gohan clenched his fists and shot the Queen an evil look. She smirked at him and he turned his attention back to Piccolo. It was time to go to work.


	3. Chapter 3

DragonBall Z

Through the Looking Glass

By Ashe-chan

Disclaimer: DragonBall Z is owned by Funimation and some other guy or company or something. I don't own it, I just choose to play with it for a bit. 

Warning: 

This story contains violence, death, explosions, gratuitous destruction of evil dimensional planar beings, and of course the use of Gohan as a sex object. Okay, then again maybe not. You have been warned.

Through the Looking Glass

by Ashe-chan

Chapter Three

Vegeta walked gingerly in front of the cat-girl, Cheshire, golden flames rippling off his Super Saiyan form. Both fighters were sporting impressive wounds, but the cat-girl looked the worse for the wear. Vegeta sneered at her and suddenly shimmered away from her view.

"Wuh?" she managed to get out before Vegeta popped in behind her and sent her sailing into the wall. 

"It's so obvious to me that you've never had a real opponent before me," said Vegeta. "You lack any real fighting skill and have been going off of instinct. While that held you in the lead for awhile, my superior ability has allowed me to make sure that you aren't landing on your feet anymore."

"You talk too much, monkey!"

"And you lack any kind of battle candor! I find it intolerable and am going to end this now!" snapped Vegeta.

Cheshire leaped at Vegeta, hands and claws swinging. Vegeta stepped to the side and caught her by her throat. 

"Oh my," said Vegeta with a smile. "It appears this cat has just spent all nine of her lives."

***

Gohan walked slowly towards his long time friend and master, Piccolo. Piccolo glared evilly at Gohan, the Dark Sensu Beans had done their work well. The young Saiyan could see nothing of his friend in Piccolo's eyes. All he could see was something dark and evil, and still Gohan fought to fight the Namek before him. He made up his mind then to try and bring Piccolo before he resorted to fighting back. He had to try.

"Piccolo," said Gohan, raising his hands in a calming gesture. "You have to come back to me. Use the beans; don't let them use you. Come back and we'll take out Queen Shinzo and seal this place off for good. You've got to trust me."

In response to Gohan's words the thing that was Piccolo snarled and lunged at Gohan, slicing through the fabric of his black skin suit. Gohan clutched his side as he felt blood start to flow through the paper-thin wounds. 

"Please, Piccolo. Don't make me fight you."

Piccolo growled in response, some recognition coming back to his eyes.

"That's it Piccolo! You're-" Gohan's sentence was broken off as he was punched across the arena and embedded into part of the wall. Gohan coughed and dropped to the ground on his hands and knees, his breath coming to him in short gasps. He realized he'd only had the wind knocked out of him, but if he hadn't been a Saiyan and a Z fighter he'd have a hole in his chest just slightly bigger than the Namek's fist.

Gohan looked up to see Piccolo coming at him again in full flight. Throwing up his fists to defend himself, Gohan was hardly prepared for the assault the Piccolo was dealing out to him. Gohan made a tactical decision and took off into the air, Piccolo trailing behind him. He whirled around to face Piccolo only to be hit from behind and back down to the arena floor. Gohan realized he'd made a tactical error at that point as he felt several of his ribs slide against the pieces they had just been connected with. 

The Saiyan stooped over holding his ribs, blood running from a small gash on his forehead. His breath came in hard gasps as he tried to keep from agitating his broken ribs. He already felt like he'd lost the battle when Piccolo landed in front of him, smiling as the black flames created shadows across his face and body. 

"You," breathed out Piccolo. "You're weak. You always have been, monkey boy. You're worse than your father in that respect. You let me beat you and put up the poorest defense I have ever seen in combat, ever. I am shamed to think that I once trained you."

Gohan was on the verge of tears. "No! You can't mean that Piccolo!"

Piccolo sneered at Gohan and began advancing on him. Gohan tried to put up a block and was suddenly on the ground again. He coughed again and tasted blood in his mouth. A quiet rage was building in him, one that he'd thought long quiet after he'd pulled the Zed sword. Gohan slowly stood up onto his feet, his arms at his sides, fists clenched. He stared at Piccolo for a minute as if sizing him up. Lifting one hand quickly he released a bolt of energy that blew Piccolo across the fighting arena and into the stands, crushing many of the creatures that had come to watch the spectacle.

Gohan stood panting in the center of the ring, his eyes closed to what was around him. He had started drawing in energy from around him, but if he wasn't careful he'd bring the whole place down on everyone. He put up a small energy shield in the hope of blocking any incoming attacks.

***

Piccolo felt his body pull itself up in the stands, shoving a number of creatures out of the way. It cracked its neck left and right and then strode forward to the rail. The body lifted up and out of the stands and hovered across the ground towards Gohan. Piccolo fought with the rage that had taken over the inner part of his brain and finally found a way in.

The body suddenly dropped to the ground clutching its head as a battle raged behind the Dark Sensu Bean haze. Piccolo saw himself in a cave, much like the arena, facing off against a darker part of himself. It growled and snarled at him intelligibly, stooping slightly as it moved towards him.

"You are not me," said Piccolo to his alter ego. "I am the one in control. I am the strength of this body."

"You are nothing!" snapped his darker half. "You are but a shell of what I could be. I am your strength, your power."

"I could say the same to you," said the Namek. He moved into a proper fighting stance and prepared to fight his dark self. "Let's do this."

***

Queen Shinzo shifted uneasily in her cybernetic legs at the sight before her. Her champion was apparently losing to the monkey and the Namek was struggling for control. Then there was the idiot in the center of the ring trying to power up or something.

"What is going on here?" she demanded, rising up to her full height on the spider legs. The Queen shook her fat fists in rage. Turning to Rabid, she grabbed him about the neck and shook him violently before her.

"They will not win! Do you understand me? Activate the Card-bots! Activate the Shufflers! As soon as they're powered up entirely I want you to have them destroy the Saiyans and that pig of a Namek!"

The Queen threw the rabbit creature to the ground and it scurried to a panel to activate the droids around the arena. Slowly the Card-bots split and their screens began charging. The Shufflers pulled out flat swords and energy arced between the two blades. Queen Shinzo let out an insane cackle and leaned forward on the rail to watch the death to come, a vile look in her eyes.

***

Vegeta stood gloating over Cheshire's broken body. One of her legs was bent the wrong way and an arm hung at her side, lifeless. She stood panting as blood ran down her cheeks and clothes. Slowly she rose as close to her full height as she could and stared at Vegeta through one eye, the other had swollen shut. 

"You win this round," coughed out Cheshire, blood dripping lightly from her mouth. "I will not yield to you, but I will concede that you have the upper hand here, Prince Vegeta."

Vegeta sneered at her and cocked his head to one side. "You have been a most interesting distraction here. Another time, perhaps?" Vegeta raised his hand and let loose with a blast that knocked Cheshire into the ground and her own grave as dirt began to fill in around her. After making sure she was through, the Saiyan Prince scanned the ring and saw the robots moving into attack position.

"Starting the slaughter early, eh? Not very sporting but hardly worth crying over. I'll just get the runt and the plant and we'll be off."

Vegeta turned to where he sensed Gohan and Piccolo and stopped at the sight he saw, his mouth hung agape. Gohan stood in the center of the ring; an energy shield surrounded him. The half-Saiyan had seen better days to be sure, but it looked to Vegeta that his wounds were healing. Looking about him he could see black wisps snaking around and moving to Gohan, surrounding and moving into him. Vegeta tried to take it all in, and realized that Gohan was moving into a more powerful form, something stronger than anything Vegeta had ever felt before. Suddenly Vegeta felt a shudder as part of the mist left his body and fled to Gohan. Gohan was gathering an incredible amount of energy and that's when Vegeta realized that he was afraid. 

He was afraid of Gohan and what he was becoming, and for once wished that Kakkarot was here to save his own son from this fate. Movement out of his peripheral vision caught Vegeta's attention and he saw Piccolo getting up from the floor, the black flames rippling about him.

"Curse you, Namek fool!" screamed Vegeta. He jumped from the floor and went into his full Saiyan form, the long blonde hair flying across his back as he flew at Piccolo. Piccolo turned on Vegeta and put out his hands to stop the Saiyan's attack. 

***

Gohan felt rather than saw the robots on the outer walls of the arena activating. He smiled as he realized he could not only draw even more energy from them, but could also redirect it to some of the others so that the place would not collapse in on itself. Closing his eyes to block out Vegeta and Piccolo's fight he concentrated on what he felt was a power core within half of the robots.

Dark energy wisps pulled out of the robots and snaked towards Gohan. The sudden discharge caused sparks to fly from the robots and several of them to explode. The half-Saiyan went down the line of robots, half taking and half-redistributing, popping each one in turn in a shower of sparks and crumpled parts. Gohan let out a roar as he felt his form evolve into something more and unleashed a powerful wave that knocked everyone in the arena down.

***

Vegeta and Piccolo attacked each other savagely. Piccolo had put up a strong fight for control, but in the end the constant effort had proved too much and he had to surrender control to his darker side. Vegeta was pounding on him and the dark Piccolo could not put up much of a defense. That skill lay with Piccolo's other half. Blood poured from several wounds on both men.

Vegeta winced as Piccolo's nails raked across his bare chest. He cried out in rage and landed a fist to Piccolo's mid-section driving him to the dirt. Vegeta swung into Piccolo with a series of rapid kicks that drove the fight away from Gohan. Vegeta didn't want to be too close when the kid finished powering up. The Saiyan Prince lunged for Piccolo and got a fist in the face for his efforts, landing even further from Gohan. 

"Either you know what he's up to," murmured Vegeta. "Or I've really pissed you off!"

Piccolo sneered and went for Vegeta's throat just as Gohan released the energy wave. It came barreling down on the two fighters, knocking Piccolo off his feet and carrying him into the arena walls. Vegeta had turned over to avoid the blast and when he turned over he saw something that he'd only heard about from the others.

"Gohan has reached his ultimate form once again," said Vegeta in wonder. "I knew the boy had it in him."

***

Queen Shinzo could only watch in horror as one by one her robots exploded and over-loaded all around her. She growled and pointed over the railing at Gohan in the middle of the arena.

"He's the cause of this! Get me another fighter down there and take him out!" she screamed at Rabid.

"Yes my Queen," said the rabbit-like creature. His eyes went wide as he checked his console. "My Queen…"

"What?" she shouted, whirling on her servant.

"You'd better take cover!" Rabid shrunk down behind the console as Gohan reached his peak and the energy wave flew out from his body. The Queen could only look on in horror as the wave approached her. She shrunk down as far into the leg casing as her fat body would allow before the wave washed over her and knocked everyone in the arena down.

She struggled to her spider legs and looked at what Gohan had become and uttered two words that would haunt her for the rest of her short life, "Kill him."

***

Gohan could feel the power surge through him. He stood flexing his arms and clenching his fists, his muscles rippling with power and strength. A small smirk adorned his face and he turned towards the Queen. He raised his right arm and in a gesture much like he'd seen on television, beckoned her to come to him with his hand. She roared in rage and stomped around on the dais. 

"I told you imbeciles to kill him! Do I have to do everything myself?" She screeched and jumped over what was left of the rail, her giant mecha-spider legs supporting her bulk as she landed. Queen Shinzo snarled and moved towards Gohan with frightening speed. Gohan just stood there, the smirk still on his face. 

When she was just over him Gohan moved into an offensive stance and let a white energy blast fly from his left hand. The Queen realized her mistake too late and the ball cut through the metal supports to her legs. She cried out in pain and frustration as the right side of her body gave out and she spilled out of her leg case. Queen Shinzo writhed about and struggled to get back to her leg assembly, her torso still somewhat connected to her lower cybernetics. Wires sprayed out fluids and electricity as she struggled, her cries growing frantic. Gohan stepped over her, the smirk still on his face, but his brow furrowed in concern.

"You've made a mistake here, Queen Shinzo. Kami may have trapped you here, but by attacking my friends and threatening my home, you have sealed your own fate for eternity." Gohan looked down at the Queen, his gaze meeting hers. "I will destroy this place and cut you off from our world forever."

"How?" she cried. "You're nothing but a boy! You're nothing! Do you hear me? Nothing!"

Gohan sighed. "Cell thought along the same lines as you. I took care of him as well. No one hurts my friends. No one."

Gohan aimed his fists at the ceiling and began firing blasts of energy as he brought his arms down in an arc so that all of the main supports to the arena were hit and crumbling. He stepped out of the way as several large chunks of the ceiling came crashing down onto the center of the ring and crushed the Queen beneath them.

The denizens of wonder ran from the arena, deeper into the tunnels and away. Their screams could be heard as several didn't make it out alive. Vegeta walked up beside Gohan carrying the unconscious body of Piccolo. 

"Think you overdid it just a little, kid?" asked Vegeta.

"No. I don't like this place and I don't think anyone from it should ever make it to the surface of our world."

Vegeta smiled wickedly. "You know sometimes I actually think there's some hope for you."

The ground and ceiling moaned and began shifting about the two Saiyans. 

"I think it's time to go, Vegeta!" shouted Gohan over the noise.

Gohan took Piccolo's body from Vegeta and he started flying across the arena to where they had previously entered. Vegeta followed closely behind. As they flew up the tunnel to the surface Vegeta could hear them closing behind him and he risked a look back. Vegeta gulped and turned back to yell at Gohan.

"Faster, boy! Faster!" The tunnel was collapsing less than ten feet behind Vegeta and closing.

There was a bright flash as the trio shot out of the tunnel into the setting sunlight. They flew to about a hundred yards up and sat in the air above the hole as dirt and soil burst into the air in a roar. The ground collapsed inwards on itself as the tunnel and arena filled in below. When the noise and the dust settled Vegeta and Gohan powered down and landed on the forest floor.

"You've got a lot of power there, Gohan."

"Thanks, Vegeta. I didn't think I'd be able to do that again after I was eaten. I guess I still have it."

Vegeta snorted. "You think you can handle the plant?"

Gohan frowned at the Saiyan Prince and set Piccolo down. "He should be fine. He'll have a slight headache from the pounding you gave him, but I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Good," mumbled Vegeta as he walked into the forest. He paused before he disappeared behind the trees and said "See you around, kid." And then he was gone.

The half-Saiyan sighed and turned his attentions back to Piccolo. Within an hour he had awoken and the two sat and talked for several hours about the day's events. 

"I'm sorry for the words I spoke to you Gohan," said Piccolo, his eyes downcast.

"I understand why you did it, Piccolo. I'd be dead right now if you hadn't gotten me to fight back."

"It's not just that," said Piccolo. "I tried to kill you down there, and that itself is unforgivable. I will understand, of course if you do not wish me to speak with you again."

Gohan sat stunned at Piccolo's words. He smiled and put his hand on Piccolo's uninjured shoulder.

"Piccolo, it was the bad beans. It wasn't your fault. I don't blame you."

"Maybe I blame myself," muttered Piccolo.

Gohan sighed and looked to the ground. "Look, Piccolo. You can't blame yourself for anything that happened here today. It wasn't your fault, any of it. Kami thought it was sealed off for good. You weren't really there to see it, Piccolo. You were basing it off of Kami's experience."

"But I failed myself. I gave into the anger that's associated with the beans. But more importantly I failed you."

Gohan forced Piccolo to look at him. "Look, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, Piccolo, but I'm telling you this right now. If you so much as think about cutting off communications and training with me I will seek you out no matter where you are, hunt you down and force a confrontation right here and there."

Piccolo sat wide-eyed at the boy before him. He had no idea how to respond to that at all.

Gohan smiled. "Just think it over." 

Gohan helped Piccolo to his feet and patted him down. The two stood face to face for a few minutes before Gohan reached over and hugged his friend and teacher. Piccolo's eyes went even wider and he stammered a bit before Gohan let go. The young Saiyan smiled and stepped away from the Namek.

A few parting words were spoken and the two sped off in separate directions once again.

***

Deep in the ground, under the hundreds of pounds of dirt and rock, and evil fighter sat in a pocket of air. Slowly she had worked her way towards the surface, and she knew it would be soon when she would again see the earthen air. Cheshire took a small break to lick her wounds and mend the arm that Vegeta had injured.

"Spent all nine lives, indeed," said Cheshire. "I have yet to lose a life my Saiyan Prince, and I will dearly enjoy taking yours."

THE END for now….


End file.
